Grinder for roller-skate wheels



Feb. 17, 1953 G. K. WARE GRINDER FOR ROLLER-SKATE WHEELS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1950 INVENTOR. Gard/0W1 Mafia Feb. 17, 1953 G. K. WARE 2,623,459

GRINDER FOR ROLLER-SKATE WHEELS Filed Feb. 4, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Patented Feb. 17, 1953 GRINDER FOR ROLLER-SKATE WHEELS Gordon K. Ware, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Roller Skate Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Arizona Application February 4, 1950, Serial No. 142,365

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to grinding apparatus and more particularly to grinding apparatus for grinding roller skate wheels.

Many roller skates and especially those which are intended for use on roller rinks are constructed with wheels made of wood, fibre, or similar material. Since it is the custom in rink skating to proceed in a circular course in one direction, the roller wheels tend to wear unevenly, that is one side of the wheel tends to wear more than the other. If the skater leaps into the air and lands on his skates, the surface of the roller wheel which is struck upon landing will tend to be flattened. These are merely examples of the numerous ways in which roller wheels made of the above materials can become worn and out of round. The pleasure and enjoyment to be derived from roller skating depends to a large measure upon the condition of the skate wheel and in particular its roundness and trueness.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for grinding roller skate wheels.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a grinder of the type described which will grind skate wheels without removing the wheels from the wheel axles.

Another object of the invention is to provide in grinders of the type described an improved structure for mounting the skate wheels upon the grinder.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in grinders of the type specified an improved means for controlling the motion of the wheels to be ground with respect to the grinding surface.

Various other objects and advantages of the apparatus will become apparent from the following specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals have been used to designate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a grinding apparatus made in accordance with and embody ing the principles of the present invention with a set of roller wheels shown in position upon the wheel support apparatus ready for grinding;

Figure 2 is an enlarged end view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 with a portion of the 2 skate and a portion of the grinding apparatus broken away;

Figure 3 is a partial view in cross section of the grinding apparatus substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view in cross section of a grinding apparatus substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view partially in cross section of the roller wheel axle clamping mechanism sub stantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 5-5 of Figure 6; and

Figure 6 is a side view partly in cross section of the roller skate axle receiving structure substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1 thereof there is shown a roller skate wheel grinding apparatus made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention. The grinding apparatus, generally designated by the numeral IO, comprises in general a grinding wheel l2, a motor 14 for driving the grinding Wheel, a base It upon which the grinding wheel l2 and the motor 14 are mounted and a roller skate wheel support struc-,

ture designated generally by the numeral I8.

The motor I4 is preferably an electric motor and is supplied with the necessary connecting cord 20 having a plug 22. A plurality of bolts 24 fasten the motor to the base 16. The shaft 26 of motor I4 is connected through a coupling 28 to a shaft 30 on which is mounted the grinding wheel.

Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that shaft 30 is journalled in a bearing support member 32 that is positioneda suitable distance above the base it and which is fastened thereto by a plurality of bolts 34. An oil cup 36 is provided to lubricate the bearing surfaces between the shaft 30 and. the bearing 32. Formed integral with and projecting from the bearing support member 32 is a grinding wheel housing 38 having a circular portion 40 disposed substantially perpendicularly to the axis of shaft 30 and a flange member 42 formed integral with and around the periphery of the circular portion 46. Flange 42 extends substantially parallel with the axis of shaft 30 and defines a circularly shaped housing within which is disposed the grinding wheel I2.

Means is provided for attaching the grinding member I2 to shaft 30 in the form of a circular plate 44 which cooperates with a retaining ring 46. As may be best seen in Figure 3, the grinding member I2, which is preferably in the form of an emery wheel, is disk shaped and its rear face 48 has a diameter slightly greater than the front or grinding face 50. A conoidal surface is formed near the rear face 48 where the smaller diameter-of the front face 50 gradually increases tothe'diameter of the rear face 48. Formed in the center of the grinding member I2 is a circular aperture 52 which facilitates assembly and disassembly of the parts hereinafter to be described. Y

The forwardly facing inner surface of ring 46 is formed as a section of a truncated cone as at 54 whereby to have a shape substantially complementary to the shape of the outer surface of the rearward portion of the grinding member I2. The rearward inner surface of ring 46 is provided with threads which cooperate with complementary threads-on the outer longitudinally extending surface of plate 44. The assembly is tightened by placing a suitable tool in apertures 56-58 formed on projections 60'62, respectively, of ring 46 and another tool in a pair of apertures 6466 formed in plate 44-and then tightening plate 44 within ring '46.

Y The grinding wheel mounting assembly is affixed to shaft 30 by means of screw thread engagement between the plate 44 and a threaded section 68 on the end of shaft 60. A laterally extending shoulder I is provided on shaft 36 to limit the distance which plate 44' may be screwed onto shaft 30; Itwill be seen that by this construction the grinding wheel I2 can be readily assembled within the mounting assembly and the mounting assembly may be readily placed upon and removed from the power shaft 30. This structure provides for ready replacement of worn grinding wheels and yet provides a simple and strong mounting.

The grinding wheel mounting assembly 'rotates within the housing 38 which is provided with an exhaust port I2 through which the particles formed during the grinding operation are swept by the current of air produced by rotating vanes I4 formed on ring 46. An annularly shaped guard I6 is provided on the forward edge of the housing 38 to cover the rotating outer edge of the grinding wheel I2. The forwardmost edge I8 of the guard 16 extends inwardly toward the axis of rotation of the grinding wheel I2 whereby to better cover the forward edge of the grinding wheel. Means is provided in the formof a flange 80 fitting within the housing 38 anda pair of set screws 82 for retaining the guard uponthe housing 38 which cooperate with the flange 80' for holding the guard I6 in position upon the housing 38; The forward edge of the guard 16 is recessed at two points as at '84 and 86 to form clearance for the roller wheels being ground as will be explained hereinafter.-

There is shown in the drawings a preferred application of the present grinding apparatus, namely the grinding of roller skate wheels while the wheels are in position upon the roller wheel axles. The roller skate generally designated by the numeral 88 comprises a shoe support plate 90 upon which are mounted the axle support members 92 and 94 for the front and rear axles respectively. A pair of front wheels 96 are mounted upon the front axle (not shown) and another pair of wheels 98 is mounted upon the rear axle (not shown). Hexagonal nuts I00 are attached to the outer ends of the axles to hold the wheels rotatably in position thereon.

The wheels 96 are mounted in front of the grinding wheel I2 in position for grinding by the roller skate wheel support structure designated by the numeral I8 in Figure 1. The wheel support structure I 0 comprises generally a mounting plate I02 which is shiftably mounted upon the base I6 for a purpose which will be more fully explained hereinafter and a wheel axle engaging portion disposed at the upper side of plate I02. Three apertured upstanding lugs I04, I06 and I08 are provided on the forward end of the base I6 and are adapted to receive a horizontally disposed supporting shaft IIO. In addition to passing through the apertures in lugs I04, I06 and I08, shaft IIO also passes through apertured lugs I I2 and I I4 formed on the lower' edge of the mounting plate I02. Mounting plate I02 is fixed upon the shaft I I0 by means of a set screw I I6 which is positioned near the left-hand edge thereof asseen in Figure 2; The mounting plate I02 is shit-table with respect to the base I6 within limits imposed by the position of the lugs I04, I06, and I08 and means in the form of a handle I I8 is provided to so shift the plate I02 with respect to the base I6. One end of handle H8 is provided with "an aperture through which shaft IIO passes .and a nut I 20 is provided to secure the handle I I8 upon shaft IIO near the righthand end thereof as seen in Figure 2. Handle H8 is also connected.

to the plate I02 by means of a pin I22 wh'ich passes through handle H8 and is embedded in This connection between the the plate I02. v handle H8 and the plate I02 allows the plate I 02 to be shifted in an arcuate manner about the axis of shaft IIO by moving handle IIB in a vertical plane.

The structure for holding the wheels of the roller skate which are to be ground is positioned 1 upon the upper edge of plate I02. As may be best seen in Figure 2 plate I02 is substantially U-shaped and has two upwardly projecting leg rod I2'8is positioned within the aperture 'of leg portion I26. The righthand end of rod". I28" as seen in Figure 5 is provided with a knurled knob.

I30 which is held in position thereon by a screw I32. Positioned at the other end of rod I28 is a nut supporting structure I 34. i In the emboditment illustrated the nutsupporting structure: [3.4

comprises a cylindrical member in which. "is formed a conoidal aperture within which a nut is adapted to be positioned. It is to be under stood that other structures besides a nut can be received by and supported by structure I34.-

Formed intermediate the length of rod I28 are two grooves I36 and I 38. As may be best seen.

in Figure 6 these grooves I36 and I38 are adapted to cooperate with a pin I40 whereby to. position. rod 128 within the leg portion I26. Pin Mll' is biased toward the engaging position by means of a spring member I42 which acts against sues-11 larged portion I44 of pin I40. The free .end of pin I40 is provided with a handle I46 whichis used to retract the pin I40 from the engaging Referring position. By providing'two grooves I35 and I38 the position of rod I28 with respect to leg portion I26 and in turn the position of the engaging member I34 with respect to leg portion I25 may be adjusted whereby 'to receive roller skate axles having varying lengths. I

The upper end of leg portion I2 is similarly enlarged and provided with a longitudinally extending aperture within which is positioned a rod I48. One end of rod M8 has formed thereon a nut receiving member I59 which is identical in construction with the corresponding member I34 on rod I23 and thus the rods with their nut receiving members constitute rod-like clamping members forming axle clamping means. The other end of rod I48 has affixed thereto a handle bracket I52 which is of sufficient length to project between rod I48 and shaft H0. The lower end of handle I52 is in engagement with the shaft IID to prevent rotation of the handle bracket and for this purpose is provided with an aperture through which shaft H extends.

Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen how a set of roller skate wheels is positioned upon the wheel support structure described above. The nuts I90 which retain the wheels upon a wheel axis are engaged by the nut receiving members I34 and I50 on rods I28 and I68 respectively. Pin Hill as explained above with reference to Figure 6 holds rod I28 stationary with respect to leg portion I26. The rod I68 is free to slide within the aperture of leg portion 52s but is biased to the right as seen in Figure 2 by spring means such as a spring I54 which is positioned between a knob I56 on one end of shaft Iii! and handle I52.

To mount a set of roller skate wheels in position for grinding the rod I28 is first properly positioned by means of pin I40. For skates having relatively short axles the pin is positioned in groove I38 and for skates having relatively longer axles the pin is placed in groove I36. Handle I52 forms a manually shiftable hand grip which is then pulled to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 whereby to retract rod Hi8. After placing the roller skate axle, in a position to be engaged by the nut receiving members I34 and I50, the handle I52 is released and allowed to assume the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2. The roller skate axle will be firmly held since handle IE2 is continually urged to the right by spring I 5. The wheels 96 are now in position for grinding.

To grind the wheels 96 the plug 22 is connected to a suitable source of electricity thereby energizing the motor I I and rotating the grinding wheel I2. Next support plate I02 is first pivoted about shaft H0 by raising handle H8 upwardly until the plate I02 assumes the position shown in Figure 3. As the wheels 96 contact the grinding surface I2, handle II'S is moved horizontally whereby to shift the wheels 96 across the face of the grinding member I2. This latter movement is essential to preserve the life of the grinding member and to insure that the wheels will be evenly ground. The entire movement of the wheels to be ground with respect to the grinding surface I2 is controlled by and accomplished by a single control means, namely, handle I I8. This gives a very simple yet effective means of controlling the grinding of the roller wheels. By providing the cut out portions 84 and 86 in the grinding wheel guard 16 the wheels may be moved along the entire surface of the grinding wheel, yet the greater part of the circumference of the grinding wheel is protected 1.20.1? :safety 91H?" poses.

To protect the operator from particles produced during the grinding operation a d to protect and keep clean the workin parts of the shifting mechanism a flexible skirt member its is positioned between thegrinding wheel and shaft III] and its associated parts. The skirt 58 is positioned upon plate I62 by means of a bar I613 held in position by a plurality of screws I62 which thread into plate I02. The skirt I53 is preferably flexible to permit the necessary movement of the support plate Hi2 with respect to the base It.

There has been provided an improved grinding apparatus which is particularly adapted to grinding wheels on roller skates without removing the wheels from the skate frame. An improved and simplified wheel mounting structure is provided in which skates having varying axle lengths may be readily received and in which the wheels are quickly yet firmly mounted. Also an improved structure for moving the wheels against the grinding surface and across the face thereof has been provided in which a single control is used for both placing the wheels against the grinding surface and for moving the wheels across the grinding surface.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described for purposes of illustration it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details of the construction disclosed but is capable of various modifications and changes without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A grinding apparatus for grinding the wheels on roller skates, and comprising a base, a grinding wheel mounted on said base and having a substantially plane grinding surface, means for rotating said grinding wheel, a supporting shaft having the axis thereof extending parallel to the plane of said grinding surface, bearing means on said base for supporting said supporting shaft for sliding and rotating movements, a mounting plate fixed to said supporting shaft, axle clamping means carried by said mounting plate and including a rod-like clamping member slidably mounted on said mounting plate for reciprocation parallel to said supporting shaft and projecting from the edge of said mounting plate, a handle bracket carried by the projecting end of said rod-like member and projecting therefrom into engagement with said supporting shaft whereby toprevent rotation of said handle bracket, spring means associated with the projecting part of said handle bracket for normally urging the handle bracket and rod-like clamping member toward axle clamping position, said projecting handle bracket presenting a hand grip for manually shifting the handle bracket and rodlike clamping member against the action of said spring means and away from axle clamping position, and an operating handle lever fixed with respect to the mounting plate and supporting shaft for tilting the mounting plate about the axis of said supporting shaft and for shifting the same along the axis of said shaft whereb to shift the mounted roller skate wheels parallel to and toward and away from the grinding surface of said grinding wheel.

2. A grinding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring means is carried by said supporting shaft in engagement with said handle 7 bracket for normally urging the clamping member toward axle clamping position.

3. A grinding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting shaft extends through an aperture in the projecting part of the handle bracket and the spring means consists of a coil spring carried by the supporting shaft and located between the end thereof and the handle bracket.

7 GORDON K. WARE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Darling Oct. 22, 1895 Roberts Feb. 18, 1896 Murdock Nov. 29, 1898 Wilhelm Aug. 28, 1900 Walsh May 22, 1906 Desjardins Nov. 23, 1926 Helfgott Aug. 12, 1941 Gleba Oct. 21, 1941 Swindle Apr. 15, 1947 Hager Sept. 28, 1948 Schubert o Dec. 6, 1949 

